1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toys and, more particularly, to an assembly that plays music in response to drawing movement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional toys permit users, primarily children, to create music by drawing on a surface of a toy. However, these devices are deficient in that they limit a child""s ability to create musical compositions of varying content. Hence, such devices do not encourage musical creativity. Nor do they keep the interest of children.
Other conventional devices function as musical instruments that permit a user to create complicated musical compositions of varying content. However, such devices do not create music in response to any creative action, such as drawing, and are too complicated for children to operate. Hence, these devices also fail to keep the interest of children and do not foster creativity.
It is thus apparent that a need exists for a simple device by which a child can create musical compositions of varying content in response to creative action by the child so as to keep the child""s interest and encourage creativity.
Generally speaking, embodiments of the present invention provide a musical drawing assembly by which a child can create musical compositions of varying content in response to creative action by the child so as to keep the child""s interest and encourage creativity.
According to a one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a musical drawing assembly includes a drawing board on which a person can draw. A sensor senses drawing movement on the drawing board. A storage device stores musical melodies, where the musical melodies each having a different succession of musical tones. A controller determines a type of drawing movement on the drawing board based on an output from the sensor, and selects one of the musical melodies from the storage device based on the determined type of drawing movement. The controller then outputs the selected one of the musical melodies to an output device.
According to a further aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a musical drawing assembly includes a drawing board on which a person can draw. A storage device stores at least a first musical melody and a second musical melody. The first musical melody has a different succession of musical tones than the second musical melody. The musical drawing assembly also includes a device that detects a type of drawing movement on the drawing board and that generates music in response to the detected type of drawing movement. The generated music includes the first musical melody or the second musical melody, dependent upon the detected type of drawing movement.
According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a musical drawing assembly includes a drawing board on which a person can draw. A sensor is adapted to sense drawing movement on the drawing board. A storage device stores accompaniment melodies each having a different succession of musical tones. The storage device stores instrumental melodies corresponding to different musical instruments and each having a different succession of musical tones. The musical drawing assembly also includes a device for selecting one of the accompaniment melodies, and a device for selecting a musical instrument that corresponds to one of the different musical instruments. A controller is configured to output the selected one of the accompaniment melodies to an output device during the drawing movement and to output one of the instrumental melodies that corresponds to the selected instrument to the output device in response to the drawing movement.
According to yet a further aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a method of generating music includes: sensing drawing movement on a drawing board; determining the type of drawing movement on the drawing board based on the sensed drawing movement; selecting a musical melody from stored musical melodies based on the determined type of drawing movement, where the musical melodies each having a different succession of musical tones; and outputting the selected one of the musical melodies to the output device.
According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention a method of generating music includes: receiving a selection of an accompaniment melody; receiving a selection of a musical instrument; sensing drawing movement on a drawing board; determining which of a plurality of stored instrument melodies corresponds to the selected musical instrument; outputting to an output device in response to drawing movement at least one of the instrument melodies determined to correspond to the selected musical instrument; and outputting the selected accompaniment melody to the output device.